Brazil to charge 13 in Petrobras corruption scandal

Brazil’s Federal Police agency has asked prosecutors to file charges against 13 people suspected of involvement in the corruption scandal engulfing the state oil company Petrobras.

Twelve of the suspects are executives of construction companies and one is a lobbyist.

Police say they have enough evidence to charge the 13 with money laundering, fraud and “active corruption.”

Authorities have alleged that top Petrobras officials operated a kickback scheme on contracts involving several billion dollars, with the money eventually being fed back to the governing Workers Party and other top parties for political campaigns.